When new children arrive at Southside Day Care in Glasgow and see one of the staff, they have been known to burst into tears – a big guy with a bushy beard is not what they were expecting.

Liam McColl, 19, doesn’t let this worry him. He said: “The odd one will be a wee bit frightened but I tell the kids I’m here to help them.”

Liam is nearing the end of a one-year apprenticeship in childcare at the Nitshill nursery. He’s the only man in the workplace but wants to forge ahead in his chosen career. He added: “I always had a feeling I wanted to be in something like teaching.

“I thought I’d go to college then get a job but when I heard about the apprenticeship, I thought that was the most practical approach to make the best of the opportunities I had.”

Liam spends one day a month at the Carousel Training Centre, working towards his SCVQ level seven certificate. The rest of the time, he’s in the sandpit or the story corner with the kids.

The dad-of-one said: “I never wake up and don’t want to go to work. It’s a happy, fun environment.

“An apprenticeship gave me the chance to work towards my goals while also earning money as well.”

The Scottish Apprenticeship Show will take place at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall on September 3 to 5, Edinburgh’s EICC on October 1 and 2 and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Aberdeen Treetops on October 10. Go to www.scottishapprenticeshipshow.co.uk